A woman's attempt to balance work and driving has landed her in trouble with authorities. A viral video shows her navigating busy Airport Road while simultaneously working on her laptop, sparking concerns about road safety and responsible remote work practices.

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The Bengaluru North Division Traffic Police on Wednesday (Feb 12) tracked down the IT employee and booked her for dangerous driving and fined her Rs1,000.

The incident occurred on Monday when pedestrians witnessed the alarming sight of a woman driving on a congested road while working on her laptop. They captured a video of the incident, noting the car's registration number, and reported it to the traffic police via social media, requesting they take action.

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“Work from home, not from car” 

"Since her residence address was registered in our jurisdiction, we issued her a notice, directing her to appear before us. On Wednesday, she dropped into our station, and we showed her the video, which went viral on X. Also, we told her how dangerous it was for her and other commuters on the road," an investigating officer said.

The woman said she turned on her laptop while driving because she needed to log in and didn't want to miss her scheduled login time. She claimed she was on her way home from her job at a private firm in BTM Layout to RT Nagar, and with traffic, she wouldn't have made it home in time.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police (north traffic) Sirigowri DR posted on X, "Work from home, not from the car while driving."

Public reacts

The incident ignited a heated discussion on social media, with many users condemning the woman's reckless behaviour. However, some commentators shifted the focus to the employer, questioning whether they should be held accountable for pressuring the woman to work while driving, and asking if they would face any consequences.

One of the users wrote, "Effect of 70hrs & 90hrs working/week model. I feel at least working women (married) should be given the option of WFH. Here she must have been thinking of saving some time by doing so, to do house chores with a free mind and spend time with family members. But a big "NO" for work while driving".

Another person, said: "Why not arrest the person who made her work through the car?"

(With inputs from agencies)